Something that I am interested in seeing is that Massachusetts intends to start splitting out their hospitalization data into “hospitalized with covid” and “hospitalized from covid”.
I think it will be revealing from a data perspective to see how much of the covid hospitalization rate in my state is due to covid symptoms vs incidental (…
Something that I am interested in seeing is that Massachusetts intends to start splitting out their hospitalization data into “hospitalized with covid” and “hospitalized from covid”.
I think it will be revealing from a data perspective to see how much of the covid hospitalization rate in my state is due to covid symptoms vs incidental (tested positive while there for something else). The ludicrous transmissibility of omicron would surely increase the incidental rate, but it’s really hard to say by how much.
This will definitely be interesting. However, I read an article this week (perhaps in The Atlantic) that said the decoupling isn't quite as clean as you might think since COVID can exacerbate conditions people already have. So people come into the hospital FOR something else, but may have been able to avoid the hospital if it they hadn't been infected WITH COVID.
i agree. in addition, it matters what type of question we’re asking. do we care about hospital capacity or severity of disease? if the former, then it doesn’t really matter about for or with.
And recall that an incidental COVID diagnosis after in-hospital test still adds to the hospital stress/load because these folks now have to be isolated, staff contacts who might have sustained unmasked, or sustained content may be ill, and all contacts will likely be tested.
Something that I am interested in seeing is that Massachusetts intends to start splitting out their hospitalization data into “hospitalized with covid” and “hospitalized from covid”.
I think it will be revealing from a data perspective to see how much of the covid hospitalization rate in my state is due to covid symptoms vs incidental (tested positive while there for something else). The ludicrous transmissibility of omicron would surely increase the incidental rate, but it’s really hard to say by how much.
This will definitely be interesting. However, I read an article this week (perhaps in The Atlantic) that said the decoupling isn't quite as clean as you might think since COVID can exacerbate conditions people already have. So people come into the hospital FOR something else, but may have been able to avoid the hospital if it they hadn't been infected WITH COVID.
i agree. in addition, it matters what type of question we’re asking. do we care about hospital capacity or severity of disease? if the former, then it doesn’t really matter about for or with.
And recall that an incidental COVID diagnosis after in-hospital test still adds to the hospital stress/load because these folks now have to be isolated, staff contacts who might have sustained unmasked, or sustained content may be ill, and all contacts will likely be tested.
Correction: they will be starting next week.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/07/nation/heres-why-state-is-changing-way-it-reports-covid-hospitalization-data/